Dangerous Distractions By Cynical Pols

"Let’s Change the Subject" is the game currently being played by both political parties for their own partisan advantage. As a technique it works distressingly well. But it is also an unconscionable and cynical ploy.

Whether you believe that the war in Iraq was a good idea gone wrong through faulty planning and execution or a bad idea gone tragically wrong, we all know that our young, and not so young, men and women are dying and being badly injured. Our motives should be discussable. Our strategy is clearly questionable. Still, I hope we all agree that the suffering, the cost in blood and treasure are important and should be on our national table—particularly when the coming election is likely to determine our direction for years to come.

Therefore, I am revolted by the political gamesmanship. The Republicans don’t want to talk about parts of the war—and the mistakes in planning and execution, so they attack Moveon.org and their pun between “Petraeus” and “betray us.” I know everyone hisses at puns, but bad puns should not provoke the official attention of the Congress and Senate. This is too serious an issue to deflect towards one relatively small segment of Democratic war criticism. Instead of the war, the Republicans, understandably, want to talk about the ad in the New York Times and how much the ad costs.

Unable to either get on the moral high ground or effectively parry the Republican attack, the Democrats, in impotent rage, slash at Rush Limbaugh and Anne Coulter. Coulter says outrageously provocative and tasteless things for a living and Rush can call people names with the best and worst of them. On the other side, Keith Olbermann goes after Bush and the administration with great gusto and vitriol. Do we want the government discussing this in official sessions?

This week, Michael Savage, a nationally syndicated radio talk show host based in San Francisco of all places, is being condemned by SF’s Board of Supervisors. He regularly spews invective at gays, lesbians and immigrants—legal or not. That is his stick. What are the Supes doing wasting time and official indignation on this?

Whatever the breaches in taste, fact or even decency on the parts of Keith, Moveon.org, Coulter, Limbaugh or Savage, the government needs to get out of the business of discussing, arguing and voting meaningless gotcha resolutions about these people.

By “gotcha resolutions” I mean non-binding resolutions that resolve nothing and just put the other side in the awkward bind of voting for or against these naked political ploys.

Dear Elected Officials, people are dying. Talk, argue, debate issues of substance not symbols. Make decisions that decide something. Put forward resolutions that resolve problems.

I don’t care what you think of Rush or Ann. I don’t need your condemnation of Keith or Moveon.org. Please get serious about the people who have killed us and threaten to kill more of our children. Leave the reviews of the pundits, activists and comedians to us in the media, who don’t have better things to do. You do have better and more important things to do.

Maybe you want to invade Iran. Okay, let’s talk about it. Maybe you want to get out of Iraq. Fine. Let’s hear your plan. Stop attacking each other; stop identifying each other’s fringe surrogates to attack. Stop making so literally true the old line from Walt Kelly’s classic cartoon Pogo, “We have met the enemy and it is us.”

This world is far too dangerous for these games and distractions. We are becoming too divided and fragile to allow politicians cynically to make each other targets of opportunity. We have real people who want us dead. Let us turn our attention towards them. The Great Seal of our nation shows an eagle holding a bundle of arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other. Which is it to be? Let’s talk about it.